GMA consulted on drone medical deliveries deal – Govt

The government has dismissed claims by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) that it was not consulted on the service agreement deal to have drones deliver essential medical supplies to remote areas in the country.

According to a Deputy Minister of Information, Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, the General Secretary of the Association, Dr Justice Yankson welcomed the deal when the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia announced it at the 2018 Annual Health Summit in Accra.

At a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, Mr Hadzide said it was, therefore, surprising the current posture of the GMA on the matter.

The GMA on Tuesday called on the government to suspend the project since it didn’t conform to the existing primary health care policy in the country.

It also claimed that the Association was not consulted on the matter and therefore called for a broader stakeholder consultation.

Dismissing the claims by the GMA, Mr Hadzide said Dr Yankson gave the association’s blessings on the new policy since, according to him, it would strengthen emergency medical service in the country.

He quoted Dr Yankson as saying: “Well, for us as an association, on countless occasions, we have bemoaned the state of emergency medical service in the country, so if efforts are being made by the government to ensure we strengthen that aspect of our healthcare delivery, then we say kudos”.

“Government is therefore taken aback at the current position of the GMA when it says the proposed services to be provided by the drones do not conform to the primary healthcare policy in Ghana,” he said.